The Fortunates (Unfortunates #2) (3 page)

Chapter Three

Nine

His smell is bliss. It’s all of the things I’ve grown to like about this world rolled into one. In some nonsensical way, it reminds me of lush green grass, clear blue skies, and fluffy white clouds. His smell is happiness—something I’ve only truly felt whenever I’m with him. I told him I loved him not so long ago. It was a declaration I made out of desperation—like he has done just now. His three words roll off my skin, failing to absorb and hit me where they should. What did he say to me when I told him I loved him? “
I can’t love you, Nine.
”

It’s funny how things work. I blink, pulling myself from my own head and focusing on his concerned gaze. He has beautiful black eyes…When light hits them from the right angle, they light up like the sky at night. I wonder if he knows that. I wonder if anyone has looked at him long enough to notice. I doubt he’d let anyone, even if they wanted to.

Maybe he’s telling the truth. Maybe he does love me, but a whisper is hardly convincing.

Vince’s loud, hoarse voice is background noise to the sound of my thudding heart. At least it still works.

“You should go,” I croak, pulling against my chain. “People are staring.”

I wince as sharp bits of metal cut the sensitive flesh on my wrists.

“You think I care how they see me?”

His soft fingers fall from my face and my chin drops to my chest. I grunt, my limbs trembling under my own weight. Still, even in my depleted state, I manage to hold myself up. It might not mean anything to a Fortunate, but to stand on my own two feet, when all I want to do is curl up into a ball and cry, means the world to me. A subtle act of defiance in my last moment. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I lift my face, angling it up so my eyes lock with his and I manage a shrug.

“You care too much,
Fortunate
.”

His irises darken as his eyes grow thin. Warning flares in every one of his features and noticeably tightens his body. His offense reaches the tips of his fingers, curling them into frustrated fists.

“Go awa—”

His mouth crashes to mine and the collective gasps of everyone around us fades as the rapid slam of my heart against my ribs becomes the dominant sound. It thumps in my ears and pounds my brain. His damp lips moisten mine and the pain from the cracks subsides. In that moment, a sudden panic overtakes me, taking up space in my lungs. Caught up in the moment, caught up in the only person who loves me for who I am, I no longer want to die.

He pulls away and the pain I previously felt seeps back into my bones and muscles, and my anger slams into me full force. Screw Kade. Screw all of these people.

“Now tell me I care too much about what everyone else thinks.”

I frown at him, the subtle movement causing my entire body to ache. “If I remain an Unfortunate, they’ll kill you for that.”

He shrugs his broad, powerful shoulders. “Then I look forward to doing it again in the afterlife.”

My heart stutters, causing my lips to quiver. “You’d hold on for that long?”

“Longer.” His intense stare softens, his eyes filling with compassion. “I’d hold on to us until this world fades into the next.”

“And when that world dissolves into another?”

“Eternity is a long time, but it’d never change how I feel about you.”

I open my mouth, but the sudden, cold tip of a rifle presses against my temple. In the blink of an eye Kade’s arm is outstretched, his face pinched into an angry glare. I let my gaze follow the length of his long, thick arm. At the end of it, held tightly by his clenched hand, is a gun.

A scary, silver gun.

Panic rushes over the crowd, but they don’t run. Almost immediately, I feel their adrenaline crackle in the air as their fear converts to excitement.

“The results are being read. I’m following orders.”

The voice sends familiar shivers down my spine and I hate it. Out of all the Moderators to bury a bullet in my skull, why does it have to be Soyer?

“Follow orders when she’s condemned. You’re putting the tip of your gun against something a hell of a lot more valuable than your miserable life. Remove it before I paint the wood with your brain.”

“You wouldn’t,” he states, the smile in his voice deafeningly loud.

Kade flicks his thumb over the top of his gun and pulls back the hammer. As it clicks into place, his jaw tightens. “Try me.”

I keep my stare on Kade’s face. Too scared to turn and face Soyer.

“Lower the gun, Soyer, before my brother embarrasses my family any further.”

I shiver at Vince’s dark, empty tone and when the cold metal of Soyer’s gun falls from my temple, I turn to look at Vince. In his large hands, he toys with the corners of a piece of paper—a piece of paper that will determine how the rest of my life will go.

His black, soulless eyes lock with mine and I can’t fathom why there’s a curve on his lips.

He holds me in place for what feels like an eternity before switching his attention to Kade.

“For your sake…” he states, opening the piece of paper. “She better be one of us.”

A sharp pain shoots from the nape of my neck and down my spine as I look to Kade. He swallows hard, but he doesn’t lower his gun. I force my attention back to Vince. His eyes scan over the simple piece of paper, but they give nothing away. There is no smirk, no scowl, not even a twitch of his eyebrow. Guilt swirls in my stomach…because the name I hope he reads off the paper isn’t mine.

Because I’m not finished here…

Because I need more time with Kaden…

Because I can change the world…

I frown, not knowing where the last thought came from. It sprung to the front of my mind with vigor, inciting newfound passion in my body.

A small eternity later, Vince lifts his eyes. My stomach falls, bile rises, and my heart splinters in half as Vince shouts the verdict with a loud boom.

“Kill her!”

Chapter Four

Kade

A deafening bang cracked through the air, vibrating the wood underneath his feet, and a shrill squeal pierced his ears. His stomach cramped, tightening itself into a painful knot. His first reaction was to shoot forward and as he slid the palms of his hands over her body, he expected blood. Her body shook as if she was in pain, but there was no evidence to show him she was shot. Her shrill scream chilled his blood. The icy vessels cut through his veins and carved their way through his heart, making it twist in his chest. Without a thought, Soyer unchained her from the post and she fell forward. If he wasn’t already touching her, her weak legs would have dropped her to the floor. Crying, Nine’s slender fingers gripped the collar of his shirt and she pulled him hard against her before burying her face into his chest. Nine sobbed harder than he’d ever heard her sob and he wrapped his comforting arms around her breakable frame. Guilt swirled inside of him as his happiness began to manifest. A dead body laid in a crumpled heap beside him, but it was because of that dead body he now had everything he’d ever wanted.

Finally.

Nine was going to be okay. She was finally going to be his in every way Kade imagined.

The sound of chains being cut clicked over the sound of the excited crowed. Out of the corner of his eye, Kathryn’s frail, limp body collapsed to the floor. He looked at her and immediately regretted doing so as blood spilled from the hole in her head, staining the dark wood with crimson and black.

Without so much as a minute’s silence, Vince addressed the crowd. There was no hiding the bitter, disappointed tone in his voice. It was a sound Kade revelled in. He enjoyed taking Vince’s pleasure from him. Nine’s survival was the last thing Vince wanted, and though it warmed Kade to know that Vince had lost, it also worried him. Vince would not take his loss gracefully. He’d known him long enough to understand exactly how his twisted mind worked. From this point on Kade had to be aware of his baby brother at all times because he knew he’d want revenge.

“…and she condemned her own child into a life of servitude!” He swiped his hand over his mouth. “Our blood will
not
be confused for
theirs
. We are pure. We are classes above the scum and we always will be.” Vince turned his body toward us. “Welcome home,
Anna
.”

She kept her face tucked into Kade’s chest, her body still shaking with her cries. With a sneer, Vince whirled on his heel and stormed away. Kade inhaled and filled his lungs with ease. It was always easier to breathe when Vincent wasn’t around. The raucous sound of clapping filled the air and discussion swirled around them. Kade hated it. He hated that the same people who watched on in excitement as he seared his family crest into her flesh, and watched as Vince ordered an Unfortunate to violate her body, clapped and smiled at her as if she were family. It was unacceptable for them to even think they could look at someone like Nine—someone who didn’t agree with their way of life.

Unwrapping his arms from Nine, he pulled them back and shrugged out of his black jacket. Kade draped the warm fabric over her shoulders before pulling her arms free and wrapping them around his neck. She moved, burying her face just above his collarbone as he bent low, scooping her up into his arms. Repeatedly, he planted soft kisses on her head and weighed her in his arms as he moved off the stage. She was lighter than usual—even lighter than she was when he first held her.

People whispered, and pointed, and gossiped between themselves, but Kade didn’t care. All he cared about was getting Nine somewhere warm where he could take care of her and pretend the past few weeks never happened—even if it was only for a short while.

He moved quickly with the hopes of spending a small amount of time with her before the Moderators came to take her to her new home. He didn’t want her to leave, but she was a Milano now, and unless he married her, she would never reside in his house again.

Kade’s skin became damp as her tears soaked through the fabric of his shirt. He couldn’t wait to shower her, to make her feel somewhat human again. From there he could work to rebuild their relationship again. The irony wasn’t lost on Kade. Once upon a time he wanted money and power. He wanted to strike fear in everyone he met…now he found himself wanting companionship, comfort, and a love unlike any else. He thought his father beat those wants and needs out of him, but Nine breathed them into him again. He couldn’t bear to go back to living without them.

Not now, not ever.

∞

Her tears stopped flowing and her chest relaxed as he carried her up the stairs toward his bedroom. When they were inside, he locked the door and carried her to the bathroom. Kade didn’t say anything as he placed her, feet first, on the white tiles and she released his neck to pull the jacket tighter around her. He looked over his shoulder at her before bending down to turn on the tap. Dark circles surrounded swollen, red eyes. Her cheeks were hollow, her lips cracked. He wished he could heal her instantly, but it wasn’t possible. The healing she needed would take time, and although he knew he wasn’t the patient type, he had to be…for her.

Hot water splashed against the pristine porcelain as he reached to the other edge of the bath to retrieve the plug. When he plugged it in the drain, the water began to fill the tub. Steam rose, getting thicker and thicker the longer the tap ran. Afraid to burn her already sensitive skin, he adjusted the cold tap, until the billowing steam became faint.

Kade straightened his spine and turned to face Nine. She swallowed hard before dragging her stare to his. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel uncomfortable, and if he admitted it to himself, he was kind of hurt that she felt uncomfortable in front of him. He’d seen every inch of her. He’d admired her from every angle. Surely she had to know by now that he’d never put her in a situation she didn’t want to be in.

He cleared his throat and rubbed a nervous sweat off the back of his neck. Her lips parted as he stepped closer and he wondered if her heart pounded as hard as his did. Was her heart slamming into her ribs too? Was it threatening to shatter them into a million pieces, like his was?

He reached out to her.

“Do you mind?” he asked, happy that his voice sounded calm and in control.

But he was far from in control. If she studied him close enough, she’d notice the tremble in his hands and the tightness of his chest. She winced as she shook her head, pushing his jacket off of her shoulders and exposing the long expanse of her arms. There wasn’t a single inch of her that wasn’t tainted with dirt and God knows what else. Kade didn’t care. Her dirtiness was a symbol of the past—a past they overcame.
Together
. The sooner he washed it off, the sooner they could start over.

Kade stepped even closer. Strangely, he felt nervous as he pushed the straps of her stained, torn tunic off her shoulders, and when her gaze flickered to his lips for the briefest second, his stomach flipped and slammed into his heart. As her tunic fell to the floor, so did her stare. Out of respect for her, he shifted his own gaze to the gold-trimmed tiles behind her head. He wanted to look. He wanted to take her in his arms and show her just how much he missed her, but it wasn’t right. She needed to recover…and she needed to fall back in love with him again. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Nine slipped by him, her arm brushing his as she lifted a leg and eased it into the bath. She hissed when the water hit her toes and her hand shot out, gripping Kade’s forearm. Turning, he took her hand in his and hesitated slightly before pressing the other hand on the small of her back. He swallowed hard as she tensed under the palm of his hand, but a short eternity later, she glanced over her shoulder and said, “Thank you.”

Kade held on to her, helping her lower herself into the water, and even as the water began to soak through his shirt, he didn’t let her go until she gripped the edge of the bath, holding herself upright.

“I’ll send for Portia to wash you,” he stated as he removed his hands and straightened up.

Kade turned on his heel and stepped toward the door.

“Kaden…”

The sound of his full name stopped him in his tracks. There was a time when it used to provoke rage in him, made him think of things he tried to forget, but now he saw it as
her
thing. Something no one else could get away with. He turned to face her. In her hand, dripping over the edge of the bath and onto the dark, purple bath mat, she held a pale green sponge.

“Can you do it?” she asked, a compassionate, yet sad, smile slightly tugging at the corner of her lips. “If you don’t mind.”

He didn’t mind. Without a word, he stepped toward the bath and knelt down, taking the sponge firmly in his hand. It dripped soap and water onto his pants, but it didn’t matter.

She shut her eyes as he pressed the sponge to her skin. The bath continued to fill, its loud stream filling the room with the sound of gushing water.

He pressed the sponge to her back, and as he glided its surface along her skin, she closed her eyes. A soft sound escaped her and Kade hesitated, unsure if the noise was one of pain or pleasure.

“Keep going,” she whispered, her eyes remaining closed. “I’m okay.”

So he kept going. He circled the sponge over and over, washing away the dirt and filth. Circle by circle her milky white skin revealed itself and, twenty minutes later, the majority of her body was clean. Now that she was clean, Kade could see various abrasions and bruises. The sight of them sent tendrils of anger through his chest, igniting his blood, but for the moment, he had to swallow his possessiveness and his demand for answers.

Kade had turned the bath off ten minutes ago and he regretted it with every painfully deafening second that passed. As he slipped the sponge from her hip to her breast, he shifted his stare to the edge of the bath. Occasionally, the hot water lapped at the edges and spilled over, flooding the tiles beneath his knees and soaking through the fabric of his pants.

“Did you see her?” Nine whispered, forcing his eyes from the edge of the bath to her face.

Her glassy, violet stare settled on the murky bathwater.

“Yes,” he whispered, running the heavy, soapy sponge over her breast. “I saw her.”

“She’s dead?”

Kade shifted uncomfortably. Nine didn’t see the fatal damage done to Kathryn’s skull. If she did, she wouldn’t have asked.

He nodded his head. “She’s dead.”